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|from http://www.louisville.com/
The Civil War, the bloodiest battle in our nation's history, is also known as the war that divided families, with brother literally taking up arms against brother. History records a number of stories about brothers fighting on opposite sides of the conflict, one brother dressed in Union blue and the other in Confederate gray. At the Battle of Front Royal, Captain William Goldsborough of the Confederate First Maryland Infantry captured his brother Charles Goldsborough, a Union soldier fighting with the Union First Maryland Infantry and took him prisoner. Another Confederate, a brigadier general, James B. Terrill, was killed at the Battle of Totopotomoy Creek, while his brother, William R. Terrill, a Union brigadier general was killed at the Battle of Perryville. The Gammell family was one of many families who faced the same predicament.
Henry Wylie, half brother of James Gammell, was employed at Sanford Blackinton's woolen mill when the Civil War began. A government contract for blue wool cloth for army uniforms kept the mill open day and night to fill the orders. In October 1861, the mill was earning a profit of about one thousand dollars a day. Henry soon left his work at the mill to serve in the Union army, 1st Regiment Massachusetts Heavy Artillery. That same year Henry's half brother Andrew F. Gammell, who was living in Texas, joined the Confederate army, Second Texas Infantry. Fortunately the two brothers never faced each other on opposite sides of the same battle.
In contrast to the unbelievable carnage that resulted from the four-year war, there were also some inspiring stories of compassion and camaraderie between enemies. At times during the fierce fighting, the soldiers stopped to remember that they were all brothers. One of those well-known incidents occurred at the Battle of Vicksburg. Andrew Gammell and his fellow Texas Sharpshooters were defending the Confederate fortification known as the Second Texas Lunette.
The assault upon that part of the embankment at Vicksburg was made by the Ninety-ninth Illinois and four other Union regiments. On May 22, 1863, Private Thomas Higgins, a big, strong, athletic Irishman, requested the privilege of carrying the flag for the day in place of the color bearer, who had been wounded. The captain gave him permission and handed over the standard, telling him, "Don't stop until you get into the Confederate works." Higgins obeyed this order literally.
Charles I. Evans, an ex-Confederate soldier of the Second Texas, later recorded how bravely Private Higgins carried out the order of his superior officer.
The following is Charles I. Evans' account:
After a most terrific cannonading of two hours, during which the very earth rocked and pulsated like a thing of life, the head of the charging column appeared above the brow of the hill, about 100 yards in front of the breast works, and, as line after line of blue came in sight over the hill, it presented the grandest spectacle the eye of a soldier ever beheld. The Texans were prepared to meet it however, for, in addition to our Springfield rifles, each man was provided with five additional smooth-bore muskets, charged with buck and ball.
When the first line was within fifty paces of the works, the order to fire ran along the trenches, and was responded to as from one gun. As fast as practiced hands could gather them up, one after another, the muskets were brought to bear. The blue lines vanished amid fearful slaughter. There was a cessation in the firing. And behold, through the pall of smoke which enshrouded the field, a Union flag could be seen approaching.
As the smoke was slightly lifted by the gentle May breeze, one lone soldier advanced, bravely bearing the flag towards the breast works. At least a hundred men took deliberate aim at him, and fired at point-blank range, but he never faltered. Stumbling over the bodies of his fallen comrades, he continued to advance. Suddenly, as if with one impulse, every Confederate soldier within sight of the Union color bearer seemed to be seized with the idea that the man ought not to be shot down like a dog. A hundred men dropped their guns at the same time; each of them seized his nearest neighbor by the arm and yelled to him: 'Don't shoot at that man again. He is too brave to be killed that way,' when he instantly discovered that his neighbor was yelling the same thing at him. As soon as they all understood one another, a hundred old hats and caps went up into the air, their wearers yelling at the top of their voices: 'Come on, you brave Yank, come on!'
He did come, and was taken by the hand and pulled over the breast works, and when it was discovered that he was not even scratched, a hundred Texans wrung his hands and congratulated him upon his miraculous escape from death. That man's name was Thomas J. Higgins,(1) color bearer of the Ninety-ninth Illinois.
Private Higgins was then taken before General Pemberton, the rebel commander, who asked him where General Grant's headquarters were. "I do not know, as he is moving them every day, but they will be here tomorrow," came the ready response from the quick-witted Irishman.
"How many men has your general got?" the rebel leader inquired.
"Oh, not many, only about seventy-five thousand," Higgins replied.
"How far back do his lines extend?"
"As far as Cairo, Illinois, and they are still being formed in the state of Maine."
"Well," General Pemberton observed sarcastically, "we'll have Grant in here as a prisoner tomorrow."
"I know," was the doughty Yankee soldier's reply, "General Grant will come in here tomorrow to ship you and your command to Altona, Illinois, where he has a big boarding house."
At this, General Pemberton got angry. "Sergeant," he exclaimed, "take this man away. He is insulting. He is impudent. He is insolent."
Thereupon, Private Higgins was led away, a few days later paroled, exchanged, and subsequently he returned to his regiment, where he remained until the end of the war.(2)
His Medal of Honor was awarded him at the request of the very Confederates who captured him at the assault. Higgins received the Medal of Honor on April 1, 1898. The citation reads: "When his regiment fell back in the assault, repulsed, this soldier continued to advance and planted the flag on the parapet, where he was captured by the enemy."(3)___________________________
- Thomas J. Higgins, Private, Company D, Ninety-ninth Illinois Infantry, born in Franklin Co., New York, June 3, 1831.
- Deeds of Valor: from records in the archives of the United States government; how American heroes won the Medal of Honor, Vol. 1, Perrien-Keydel Co., 1907, pp. 198-200.
- See Medal of Honor Recipients, Civil War at http://www.history.army.mil/html/moh/civwaral.html


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subset: commoncrawl


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Sweepstakes Scammers Threaten Elderly Consumers
Sweepstakes scams aimed at the elderly have taken a scary turn, according to The Governor's Office of Consumer Protection. Under the typical sweepstakes scam, consumers are informed (by mail, phone or email) that they have won a huge sum of money in a sweepstakes; but in order to receive the prize money, the consumer must first wire a couple of thousand dollars for processing fees, insurance or taxes. Sometimes the scammers send a check to cover that amount, which invariably turns out to be counterfeit. Needless to say, the big check for the million dollar prize never materializes and the consumers are swindled out of the money that they wired.
"The new slant we are seeing now is the use of intimidation tactics," explains Administrator John Sours. "Scammers are telling consumers they will come to their house to escort them to the bank. Several consumers who have confronted the caller about it being a scam have been threatened that harm would come to them or their families."
The Governor's Office of Consumer Protection urges consumers to contact the police if a stranger threatens to come to their home or cause them harm. In addition, the agency warns consumers to be wary of the following signs of a sweepstakes or lottery fraud:
- You are a winner, but you don't recall ever entering the contest. This may sound obvious, but many people are so excited about winning that they don't stop and wonder how their name could have been drawn. And even if you have entered a sweepstakes, keep in mind that the actual chances of winning are very slim. For example, the odds of winning the grand prize in the Publisher's Clearing House Sweepstakes are 1 in 1.75 billion.
- You have to pay to receive your prize. Legitimate sweepstakes will NEVER require you to purchase anything or pay a fee in order to claim a prize.
- You are asked to wire money. Scammers love to use wire transfer services because it is virtually impossible to trace who received the money or for the sender to recoup any money after it has been sent.
- You are asked to provide your bank or credit card account. Scammers want access to your money. So they offer the convenient option to have your "winnings" deposited directly in your bank account. Then they turn around and drain your account. Never give out your financial account information to a stranger.
- The letter announcing your win contains typos. Sweepstakes scams are often perpetrated by people outside of the United States. If you receive a prize notification containing many typos or which sounds like it was written by a non-English speaker, it is probably a scam.
- The letter claims to come from a government institution. In order to look more legitimate, scammers may claim they are with a government entity, often inventing such agency names. The fact is, government organizations are NOT involved in awarding sweepstakes prizes.
If you receive a fake sweepstakes solicitation or if you have been the victim of a sweepstakes scam, contact the Governor's Office of Consumer Protection at 404-651-8600 or 1-800-869-1123. You can also report the incident to the National Fraud Center at www.fraud.org.


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Parent Directory | Revision Log
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ebuild clean ups (Portage version: 2.1_pre1)
*** empty log message ***
Fix DEPEND (sys-kernel/linux26-headers is no-longer in the tree). (Portage version: 220.127.116.11-r1)
Don't check for kernel stuff if building for livecd (Portage version: 1.589-cvs)
stable on ia64 (Portage version: 220.127.116.11)
Add sanity to pkg_setup.. also fixes usage with portage-HEAD (Portage version: 1.586-cvs)
Stable on ppc64 (Portage version: 184.108.40.206)
stable amd64 (Portage version: 188.8.131.52)
Stable on ppc. (Portage version: 184.108.40.206)
move back to testing, it requires a 2.6.10 kernel which is not yet stable on amd64 (Portage version: 2.0.51-r15)
stable on amd64 (Portage version: 2.0.51-r15)
new release, mark 0.4.5-r2 x86
bash fixes
add lockup fix for some wireless devices
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Current body protheses do not last more than ten to 15 years. After this time, the operation has to be repeated in order to change prothesis. Researchers have now found a way of producing a prosthesis that could last more than 150 years.
Changing prosthesis after a couple of years is usually problematic as, in general, it is elderly people that use the procedure. Researcher Nere Garmendia, based in the Basque city of Donostia-San Sebastián, has just published a thesis which may well mean the first step to solving this problem. According to Garmendia, using a ceramic material called zirconia, carbon nanotubes and nanoparticles of zirconia, a long-lasting prothesis can be produced.
With her thesis, Garmendia wished to show that the ageing and cracking of protheses could be avoided. To begin with, carbon nanotubes were added to the zirconia matrix – a technique that greatly strengthens its resistance. With this composite material as a base research was initiated.
Garmendia explained in her thesis that working at a nanometric scale is precisely the key to achieving long-lasting protheses. In a prior experiment with micrometric zirconia it was concluded that this material would end up considerably aged after twelve years.
Nevertheless, as has been pointed out, apart from the zirconia matrix, adding carbon nanotubes and the nanoparticles of zirconia coating them, the material will not age – even after 150 years. With the nanotubes coated, Garmendia investigated the capacity for the displacement and dispersion of the composite obtained from the previous process, and also looked for its suitable point of density. Based on this and aided by plaster, she achieved the first compact pieces.
Subsequently, Garmendia specified the number of coated nanotubes each piece had to have in order to achieve the optimum density at the end of the process. According to the researcher, adding zirconia nanoparticles to the nanotubes facilitates the dispersion of the material and reduces its viscosity, apart from helping to increase its density for the last stage: the synterisation stage.
Synterisation is a process, used particularly in ceramics, in order to transform the material from powder to a compact solid. Not just any quantity is useful to achieve this maximum possible density and, thus, before synterisation, it has to be decided how many nanotubes are to be introduced and, of course, synterisation has to be subsequently carried out correctly. Finally, the material has to be synterised in argon for one hour at 1,300 degrees; not more nor less.
COMPAMED.de; Source: Elhuyar Fundazioa


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First Look at 'The Dark Knight Rises' DVD and Trilogy Box Set
Depending on where you live, Christopher Nolan's superhero smash 'The Dark Knight Rises' might still be playing in multiplexes… sometimes even on your local IMAX screen. But thanks to the ever-shrinking window between theatrical and DVD release, you now can start planning to own 'Rises' on December 3, and here are a few of the options that will be at your consumer-driven fingertips.
Three sets of 'The Dark Knight Rises' DVDs released in the UK were teased over on Comic Book Movie. No specific details for the Nolan film have been made available yet, though fans know they shouldn't expect a director's commentary (and we've already ruled out the possibility of a longer Director's Cut of the film). But the DVD releases of 'Batman Begins' and 'The Dark Knight' made up for those notable absences with tons of extra supplements diving into the making-of process, and we'd be surprised if Nolan skimped on his third and final Batman adventure.
The site also has three images of the types of formats fans will be able to choose from -- the standard DVD, a Broken Cowl edition (in an awesome collector's box) and finally the cover art for the Blu-ray edition. So, Bat-fans, which one will you buy when 'The Dark Knight Rises' hits stores on December 3?


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A group of masked far-right nationalists disrupted a lecture at Warsaw University. The lecture was given by the centre-left politician Magdalena Środa. The protestors shouted 'anti-communist slogans (such as - Hammer and Sickle, Red Rabble - Raz sierpem, raz młotem czerwoną hołotę). The demonstrators were eventually removed from the building and the lecture allowed to go ahead.
Organisers claimed that they were protesting against the prevoius cancelling of a debate at the university, organised by the Independent Students Association, where three leading representatives of the far right had been invited. The meeting was cancelled after the Rector of Warsaw University expressed his discomfort at the Students Association organising a meeting that looked like a gathering of the far-right. The fact that the main representatives of students in Poland could contemplate organising such a meeting is a scandal in itself and reveals much about the state of political awareness and activity amongst students.
The far-right is now saying it will disrupt further lectures made by those from the left until they are able to hold similar meetings themselves. They claim that this is a matter of free-speach. However, there should be no basis for free-speech for those that promote the politics of hate and agression. A recent report made by the organisation 'Never Again' has revealled that the number of attacks by the far right has increased sharply in recent years. In 2011-2012 there were over 600 recorded xenephobic and homophobic attacks and far-right crimes committed in Poland. According to the authors of the report:
During the past two years we have seen a marked increase in aggression from extreme nationalists throughout the whole country. Neofascism is no longer restricted to the margins. This is an extremely disturbing tendency, which demands a decisive reaction. How far the fascists have gone has beenshown by Tuesday's attack on the lecture of Prof. Magdalena Środa at Warsaw University.'
There can be no platform given to the far-right who target and attack those due to their race, religion or sexuality.


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The Wall Street Journal
Review & Outlook
January 29, 2013
Immigration Breakout
A promising Senate framework, if Obama really wants a deal.
If President Obama wants a bipartisan immigration reform this year, the policy and political path is being laid out for him. That's the meaning of Monday's statement of reform principles from a bipartisan group of eight Senators across the political spectrum.
The agreement is a breakthrough because it includes compromises from both Republicans and Democrats that, at least in principle, address the main obstacles that have killed reform in the past. The most politically potent of those issues is what to do about the 11 million illegals currently in the U.S. But more important for the country's future is admitting more immigrants, both high- and low-skilled, and creating a process that lets them enter and leave legally as economic opportunities ebb and flow. This will be the action to watch.
Critics on the right assail the last big immigration reform, in 1986, and they have a point. That reform offered citizenship to current illegal immigrants but it failed to set up a process for future legal immigration to meet the needs of fast-moving labor markets. Thus it created an incentive for foreigners to arrive illegally and never leave lest they never be able to return to the U.S. if they did go home. Avoiding that mistake should be one of the main goals of this or any other immigration reform.
On that point, the Senate framework has promise but also a long way to go. For example, the statement says their legislation will "allow more lower-skilled immigrants to come here when our economy is creating jobs, and fewer when our economy is not creating jobs."
Well, great, but the key is how that principle is implemented. If it means putting some government official or commission in charge of declaring that there is a "labor shortage" in an industry, it will be worse than the status quo. Political forces will control when such a shortage is declared, if ever. The better way is a large and robust guest-worker program that lets the flow of immigrants meet labor demands across the economy.
When U.S. growth is slow, as it has been since the financial panic, fewer workers will come and many will leave. The net migration to the U.S. is estimated to have been flat for several years. But when growth recovers, a legal path to enter the U.S.—to obtain, say, a six-year work pass that would be transferable from job to job—would let immigrants respond quickly to genuine shortages without creating an incentive to stay illegally.
This should be a priority for GOP reformers—both because it makes economic sense and because it will do more to reduce the flow of future illegal immigration than would another 100,000 border agents. The economic reality is that migrants are going to follow economic opportunities, legally or not. The trick is to give them ways to do so legally.
This will also be the part of the bill most opposed by the AFL-CIO because unions don't want more workers who don't belong to unions. Senate Democrats gutted the guest-worker program during President George W. Bush's attempt at reform in 2007, and both Dick Durbin and then Senator Obama of Illinois were among the gutters.
As for the millions of illegals already here, both sides have made important compromises. The four Republicans, led by Florida Senator Marco Rubio, have conceded that reform needs to include an ultimate path to citizenship. This drops the fantasy embraced by Mitt Romney and the restrictionist right that people who have been here for years and have deep family and economic roots are going to "self-deport."
In return, the four Democrats, led by New York's Chuck Schumer and Mr. Durbin, have agreed to accept substantial enforcement guarantees and procedural hurdles before such a citizenship path would be open. This has been a sticking point for GOP cooperation and should help Republicans rebut the false charge that this amounts to an "amnesty."
In Mr. Rubio's description, this path would require that illegals come out of the shadows, register for a special residence visa, pay a fine and back taxes, prove a work history, and then wait in line behind others who have already been waiting to get their green cards. Congress will debate the details, but the process could take as long as 15 years.
A path to citizenship would also assist the process of assimilation that has been one of America's historic strengths. The U.S. should not want a permanent class of residents who can never be citizens and thus have less incentive to adapt to U.S. cultural mores, speak English, or move out of segregated ethnic enclaves.
Which brings us back to Mr. Obama. The President will lay out his own reform principles Tuesday, but the question is whether he wants an achievement or a political issue. If he wants a genuine reform, the Senate framework shows how much Republicans have already moved his way. GOP leaders can read the 2012 exit polls, and thanks to the persuasion of Mr. Rubio, Jeb Bush and a few others, more conservatives are now more amenable to reform.
Yet neither Mr. Obama nor his White House have reached out to Mr. Rubio, and many Democrats want to use the immigration issue to drive turnout in election after election.
Their goal is to have a legislative dance and then blame Republicans for killing reform sometime in 2014.
If that is Mr. Obama's real goal, he'll demand too much—by gutting the guest-worker program again or complicating it with too much bureaucracy, or by insisting on a quick and easy path to citizenship for illegals. Mr. Obama will have to decide if he wants a legacy of reform, or more partisanship.
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Partnering for Profits
By John Agoglia
April 10, 2006
A former personal trainer in New York, John Agoglia has built a successful career writing about the business side of sports and fitness. In addition to his journalism work, he has recently launched his own copywriting, editing and marketing consulting company, WriteOne Marketing Solutions. He can be reached at [email protected] or www.writeoneonline.com.
If your fitness facility doesn't view cross promotions as true partnerships, they might as well not even be a part of your marketing plan because they'll never do you any good. Here are four ways to make these campaigns, also called co-branding or cross marketing, a success.
1. Look past the front door. Far too often fitness facilities stop their cross-promotions at the front door of local businesses. Take a walk around your local downtown, and odds are you'll find a lead box or some fliers or guest passes on a counter or a location near the front doors of every kind of business—some may even be from your facility. Unfortunately, for many, this is as far as they go with their cross promotions. Also unfortunately, there is no cross or promotion involved in this type of marketing—so it won't get the desired results.
Fortunately, this situation has an easy solution. Ask your marketing director or sales reps to speak with the business owners and offer them something in return. Of course, they'll have to do more than just stack your passes at the front door, but odds are they'll be more than happy to do it and both businesses will benefit. For example, instead of walking into a local health food store and setting up a lead box or dumping some fliers on the counter, ask the owner or manager if he or she would like to target your "health-conscious" members by running a promotion. Perhaps all members could get 10 percent off their purchase, or you could gear your monthly promotions around your personal training packages.
2. Think outside the box. When I say think outside of the box, it doesn't necessarily mean crazy promotions like dropping turkeys from a helicopter on Thanksgiving (a notorious radio promotion). It really means thinking out of your box—the four walls of your facility. You really need to think about activities that will help both of you land your partners' businesses. Think about sponsoring the healthy section of a menu at a busy downtown restaurant. In return, hire them to cater your events like Member Appreciation Day (You do have a monthly Members Appreciation Day, right?) and birthday parties. Work with local bridal shops and wedding planners who can refer to you their clients who want to "lose a few pounds" before the big day. You in turn, can have a bridal fashion show in the group ex room for your clients. Work with insurance agents and financial planners, who are looking to keep their clients fit and healthy. Offer to sponsor "Financial Fitness" seminars, which brings new people to both of your businesses. Your healthy food partner can cater it for some added benefit as well.
3. Target your partners. Sure you want as many people to walk through your door as possible. But the only thing better than that is to get as many qualified people to walk through your door as possible. It is important to target your partners to make sure you are attracting the right clientele.
Don't target a children or family establishment if you don't offer children's programming. If you run a high-end club, maybe the tanning studio near the college isn't the right place for you. A lead box in every pizza joint and convenience store may yield a ton of names and numbers of people trying to "win" a free week, but may not yield enough members to make all those calls by your sales staff worthwhile—maybe the skin care salon or day spa is a much better choice even if it has lower traffic. In return, you can offer them the opportunity to donate gift baskets to your Member Appreciation Days, referral contests and even outfit your locker rooms with samples that can send them business and make your members feel pampered.
4. Forget me not. You and your staff needs to follow-up regularly with your cross-promotional partners if you really want to see prospects walk through the door of your facility. It is too tempting, especially for sales reps, to constantly look for new promotional partners and forget about the ones that are already behind your product. A simple phone call to a realtor or a drop-in on the jewelry store on Main Street is an easy way to remind them about your partnership. Better yet, you have the opportunity to update their monthly membership card to your club—if they are using your facility, they are far more likely to recommend it to their customers.
While cross-promotions with local businesses is nothing new or earth shattering, by thinking out of the box, spending a little time and (gulp!) some money on building strong cross-promotional partnerships, your facility can see some extra, qualified prospects.


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Categories: International and Comparative Law Business, Corporate, Commercial Law
Instructor(s) Davis, Kenneth
This course examines the legal issues created by the internationalization of markets for capital, and the removal of the historic barriers to cross-border transactions. After a brief survey of the US approach to investor protection, the course will consider a variety of topics in depth, including enforcement, insider trading, market efficiency, cross-border offerings and cross-listing on stock exchanges, and the extraterritorial application of law. A recurring theme will be the efforts underway for countries to harmonize their laws and for national regulators to cooperate with one another.
This course is being offered for the first time and students are advised to approach it as a "work in progress." One of the advantages of that status is that there remains some flexibility to fit the structure and content of the course to the size of the class and the specific interests of the students.


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Dancing With The Stars Cheryl Burke Attends Macy's 30th Anniversary Passport Glamorama
Last night at The Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles, California, Cheryl Burke attended Macy's 30th Anniversary Passport Glamorama. According to twitter, Cheryl took her sister to the event as well. You can see more photos from this event at
Zimbio Pictures. Other celebs to attend were Nicole Richie, Sharon Stone, and Camila McConaughey to name a few.
What do you think of this dress? Wow gorgeous!
ADDING: Below Celebuzz interviewed Cheryl at this event. They talk of rehearsals for Dancing With The Stars in Dallas. Cheryl is in total work mode making Emmitt the best dancer he can be just like the last time. She says their biggest competition is themselves. Cheryl says everyone is going to be good this season. Here is more…


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navrelay/temp uses temperature sensors from TERTIUM Technology S.r.l. to offer an easy to use temperature monitoring. Measurments from multiple sensors are collected by a vehicle concentrator and forwarded in realtime through LINK.connect to the navrelay IoT platform.
Up to two temperature values are shown directly at the vehicle in WEBFLEET - no need to log in to another platform. Daily reports as PDF and raw data included.
phase15 creates and operates cloud-based and local tools for customers of Webfleet Solutions. Our focus is on straight forward and easy to use extensions that enhance the user experience and make daily life for users of WEBFLEET more efficient. Our pre-built tools integrate seamlessly into existing workflows and we aim to accomplish the same for bespoke solutions. We welcome requests from resellers as well as existing and future customers of Webfleet Solutions.


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Hug Me Hedgehog Fun Women BlackV-Neck T-shirt Wellcoda RL9UEC0GN
Product Code: RL9UEC0GN
Availability: In Stock
We�ve taken great care to make sure that the material of this V-neck T-shirt is soft on the skin, ensuring maximum comfort after long periods of wear. The blend of fabrics used during production is very breathable, and the V-neck T-shirt will remain very comfortable after countless washes.
V-neck T-shirt IS AVAILABLE IN DIFFERENT SIZES FROM:
Size / Width / Length / Width / Length
S / 14" / 24" / 37cm / 62cm
M / 15" / 25" / 39cm / 65cm
L / 16" / 26" / 41cm / 67cm
XL / 18" / 27" / 45cm / 69cm
2XL / 19" / 28" / 48cm / 70cm
This trending design is printed with the latest printing technology so it comes with vibrant colors and a durable print which does not fade or peel after many washes. You can rest assured that this design will make you stand out from the crowd.
Hug Me Hedgehog Fun Women BlackV-Neck T-shirt Wellcoda RL9UEC0GN


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Target 1. Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people whose income is less than one dollar a day
Goal 1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
G - Global monitoring data. The figure is regularly produced by the designated agency for the global monitoring, based on country data. However, there is no corresponding figure at the country level, because the indicator is defined for international monitoring only (example: population below 1$ a day)
Source: United Nations Statistics Division - Unless otherwise noted, information in this page is accurate as of February 15, 2007


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CLoven Satyr?
Have Pathfinder or Ponyfinder rules questions, ask here!
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CLoven Satyr?
Are there rules for Satyr Cloven? Or Griffons/Hippogriffs?
Re: CLoven Satyr?
Cloven? Not yet.
Darn humans, always getting a bit 'too' close to every species.
Darn humans, always getting a bit 'too' close to every species.
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- Joined: Wed Nov 20, 2013 9:20 pm
Re: CLoven Satyr?
Wouldn't a cloven satyr be just a satyr? By the way satyrs with equine ears and hindparts were called sileni in Greek Mythology.
Re: CLoven Satyr?
Satyrs used to be equine first, from what I hear.
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NEW CANAAN >> A church youth group leader has been arrested on accusations she had a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old boy.
The Hearst Connecticut Media Group reports that Morgan V. Frawley of Fairfield surrendered to New Canaan police over the weekend. She was charged with risk of injury to a minor and released on $5,000 bond.
Mark Sherman, the lawyer for the teenager and his family, denies a sexual relationship occurred.
Police said the boy's parents found sexually explicitly images and text messages on his phone. They contacted the Congregational Church of New Canaan, which notified the state Department of Children and Families.
The agency contacted police.
It's not known whether Frawley is represented by a lawyer and she does not have a listed phone number.
She is due in Norwalk Superior Court on Nov. 5.


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Rapper "Los" Was The Man Behind The Camera Of Josh Howard's Remarks!
Baltimore Rapper Los discusses on ESPN's Outside The Lines about the infamous Josh Howard Video
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Story highlights
- Six times this week, donors buy coffee for more than 500
- Gifts were at Tim Hortons restaurants across Canada
- Chain says this generosity is not a marketing gimmick
What's in the coffee in Canada? Apparently something that's making a few folks pretty generous.
At least six times this week, customers at Tim Hortons restaurants have paid for their own cups of coffee and cups of brew for the next 500 or more people in line, according to media reports.
The first 500 free javas were gifts of an anonymous donor at a Tim Hortons in downtown Edmonton, Alberta, on Monday, CTV reported. A man in his 20s bought a double-double and a doughnut and told the clerk to put the next 500 large coffees on his debit card, according to the report.
"(The staff was) thinking maybe he was so blessed that he wanted to share his blessing, or maybe he won the lotto or something," store manager Joanne Averion told CTV.
The act has been repeated five times since, in Calgary, Alberta, on Tuesday, and in Red Deer, Alberta, and Ottawa on Thursday, and two more times again in Edmonton on Thursday, according to the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.
The last case is the only one where the coffee donor has taken credit.
Monica Kavanaugh bought 800 cups at the Tim Hortons in Edmonton's Royal Alexandra Hospital on Thursday.
"It's a way to give back," Kavanaugh told the CBC. "They've (hospital staff) helped my father a lot, and I just feel, why not give a little back to the hospital?"
Earlier Thursday, someone paid for the next 500 cups at the hospital Hortons.
It's all great business for Tim Hortons, but the company says it's serendipity, not a marketing stunt.
"As brilliant as this is, I can assure that Tim Hortons has nothing to do with the Good Samaritans that have been purchasing coffees across the country," Tim Hortons representative Michelle Robichaud told CTV.
"We're just as surprised and thrilled as our guests have been by these incredible random acts of kindness," the CBC quoted Robichaud as saying. "Our only role is really in pouring the cups of coffee."


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Failover Management Standard
|1. A measurable construct, boundary, constraint, tolerance and/or objective that is specifically related to the Discipline known as Failover Management and that is typically established, maintained and published by some acknowledged Failover Management authority as a baseline, model, example or rule for achieving certain levels of performance, quality, cost or other desired outcomes for the work performed.
Read More
|1) The Semantic Root Noun for this term is: Failover
2) Semantically Related Terms: The "Failover Management Glossary"
3) The Failover Management Home Page covers much more about other related terms and concepts associated with this term or phrase.


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"Ninety percent of the people who live on Twelve Pole Creek in Wayne County do not know that both forks of Twelve Pole rise in Mingo county and flow through Lincoln county before they reach Wayne."
That statement was made to Wayne County News this week by a Wayne County man who cited us to the West Virginia Geological survey reports to confirm his statement that both forks of Twelve Pole do rise in Mingo and flow through Lincoln.
In this connection a statement of facts concerning Twelve Pole should be interesting to readers of Wayne County News.
This stream takes it source at the base of the Guyan Mountain in Mingo county and flows in a general northwest direction and empties into the Ohio river near Ceredo.
The creek gets its name from the fact that the surveyors when locating the Savage land grant at its mouth in 1784, found its width to be twelve poles, or rods. Twelve Pole is said to have been named by George Washington, or at least by surveyors employed by Washington in making the Savage land grant survey.
It is the only large stream in the whole state of West Virginia having its source in the Ohio river section.
The main Twelve Pole is formed by junction of the East or Left Fork with the West or the Right Fork at the a point less than one mile south of Wayne. The length of the creek from the junction of the two forks to the mouth is 31 miles. The principal tributaries to Twelve Pole from the junction of the two forks down the the mouth are Toms Creek, Garretts Creek, Big Creek, Lynn Creek, Beech Fork, Camp Creek, Newcomb Creek, Plymale Branch, Haynies Branch, Buffalo Creek, Bobs Branch and Walkers Branch.
The East Fork, better known as Right Fork, of Twelve Pole has its source in the northern part of Mingo county and flows in a northwestern direction 11 1/2 miles through Mingo county, 1 1/2 Miles through Lincoln county and 22 miles in Wayne county to the junction with Right fork. The length of this fork is thirty-five miles. The chief tributary streams to this fork are Two Mile, Newcomb, Peter Cave, Little Lynn, Camp Creek, Laurel, Brush Creek, Lick Creek, Rich Creek, Beechy Branch, Cove Creek, Bluelick Branch, Kiahs Creek, Milam, McComas, Crane Nest Branch and Cowpen Fork.
The West or Right Fork of Twelve also rises in the Northern part of Mingo county and flows through Mingo for a distance of 15 miles, passing through the corner of Lincoln county and through Wayne county for a distance of little over 36 miles where it joine the Left Fork. The entire length of the Right Fork is 52 miles, which added to the 31 miles from the Forks to the mouth of main Twelve Pole makes the length of the entire stream from its farthest source 83 miles. The principal streams flowing into the Right fork are Patrick, Trace, Joels Branch, Billies Branch, Ferguson Branch, Big Branch, Missouri Branch, Moses Creek, Long Branch and Turkey Creek.
Twelve Pole is a historical and scenic stream. Its valleys provide some of the best farming land in the country. It was the sole means of transportation for hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of timber which was floated in the pioneer days of this county. And the scenic beauty and splendor along Twelve Pole compares most favorably with that found in any other county in the State.
With the recent completion of the Tug River Highway through Wayne county to the Mingo line, traffic has started between Wayne County and Logan court house by way of Williamson. A number of Wayne County people have made this trip to Logan within the past few days and also Logan people have been driving over this route extensively within the past two weeks. In dry weather, the road is excellent for automobile travel.
The Tug River Highway through this county from Hodges on the Wayne-Cabell line to Marrowbone on the Wayne-Mingo line is completed with the exception of a small detour of only a few hundred yards at the Wells Branch bridge near the residence of Mont Crum. A new bridge is under construction at this point but two detours are provided, a new detour around the hill road for a few yards having been opened only last week. The road from the Wayne-Mingo line to Williamson is reported good and is paved for some distance.
Over the above route it is about 107 miles from the Wayne Court House to Logan Court House and only approximately sixty-five miles from Wayne court house to Williamson. Following is a log which has been made by the Huntington Automobile Club which shows the exact distances and route to be followed in making a trip from Huntington over the Tug River Highway through Lavalette, Wayne, Dunlow and Crum to Williamson, thence by way of Pigeon Creek Mountain, Omar and Rossmore to Logan and from Logan to Charleston by way of Stollings, Blair and Kanawha City. The distance from Huntington to Charleston over this route is 200.1 miles.
H. M. Smith, manager of the Huntington Auto Club, recorded the following automobile log on a trip over this route last week:
Set your odometer at zero at the corner of Ninth Street and Sixth Avenue going west. . .[and] taking up route No. 8 [follow] concrete to the end of the pavement.
8.2 miles R. R. X turn left, begins dirt road, follow until odometer reads reads 19.2 miles; thence begins brick pavement.
20.2 Wayne court house
21.2 miles brick pavement ends, turn right cross bridge over dirt road
25.3 turn left R. R. X at Echo
45.5 miles bridge under construction, detour 150 feet over creek bed, cross Bull mountain, excellent earth road
61.3 miles Mingo county line begins
63.0 miles macadam; thence earth
69.9 miles macadam begins
72.3 miles macadam ends beginning earth road
77.0 miles, Nolan
80.7 Chatteroy
83.3 miles city limits Williamson
85.5 miles Williamson Court House
Continue through Williamson on pavement.
88.2 miles pavement ends, earth road begins, cross Pigeon Creek mountain, excellent earth road
94.7 miles keep right for Logan
98.0 miles gravel begins
109.2 miles turn left for Logan, leaving main route over narrow, rough earth road for 6 miles, damgerous in very wet weather
115.0 miles, gravel road begins
116.1 miles Stirrat
118.2 concrete ends, gravel begins
122.9 Rossmore
126.7 keep right for Logan, road to left goes to Holden
127.9 Logan court house
129.7 miles Stollings, end of concrete pavement, go over railroad, earth road begins
140.2 miles Blair, R. R. X
161.0 miles Madison, pavement ends, earth road begins, 6 miles very rough
193.7 miles, pavement begins, Kanawha City
200.1 Capitol street Charleston
A large number of Wayne Countians who are members of the Knights of the Golden Eagle are planning to attend the thirty-eighth annual session of the Grand Castle of the lodge and the twenty- fifth Grand Temple of the Ladies of the Golden Eagle, which will be held at the Odd Fellows Hall in Huntington on September 9th and 10th. Headquarters for the occasion will be at the Fifth Avenue Hotel. Wayne County is well represented on the roster of Grand Lodge officers of the K. G. E. William Gibson of Westmoreland is grand vice-chief; L. J. Rigg of Wayne Route 1 is grand first guardsman; and L. R. Lambert of Kenova is one of the grand trustees. Taylor Lambert, also of Kenova, is a member of the L. & A. committee of the Grand Castle.
Transcription by June White
Wayne County News


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You need industry expertise to start a company, right? You need to have spent 30 years learning the ins and outs. Everyone should already know who you are. At this point you're also making over $300,000 a year and have a family with 3 kids, 2 of whom are going to college next year. Starting a company means you probably will not receive a paycheck of substantial size for a while, and you have a huge risk of failure.
At age 25, the sky is the limit. You generally have no mortgage, no children and maybe just a cat to feed. You can store all of your possessions, if you have any, live in a filing cabinet/your space at the incubator, and shower at the gym when needed. You're only making maybe $50,000 a year, so if you make $40,000 in a startup it's not that big of a risk. Working late is not a problem. You're used to staying up until 1am for homework. You also see incredible inefficiencies in the market and want to change it. You have no fear of challenging "market standards".
Naturally, I would argue that a 25 year old should start a company, under the guidance and coaching of an older mentor who has been in the industry before. If you're young and sharp, you will quickly learn the industry, and you will ask your mentors thousands of questions. You'll also challenge the industry norms, and your mentors will let you know if you are off your kilter.
The challenge for a 25 or 30 year old running an early-stage company is recognizing the fact that one day you may be replaced by the 52 year old. Is this a bad thing? Absolutely not. If your company has grown to the point of a large Series A or B round, you should seriously ask yourself who the best person to run the company is because your VC certainly will. Is it you? Is it a seasoned exec?
I believe much of that depends on the individual and the company's growth stage. It's your job as the CEO of your company to constantly question who is best for the situation and gracefully step aside when needed. Some people are better suited to run firms at various stages. Ultimately you may find yourself as the type that only wants to start firms from the early stages, and then either just focus on the product development or start on the next market changing idea.


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Elia Kacapyr
By Keith Davis
It's a right guaranteed to us by the founding fathers in the Declaration of Independence. But is happiness a choice? Can we choose to be happy any more than we can choose to be rich, healthy, or born in a certain country?
We consulted with a number of experts, both faculty and alumni, and the answers were...


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Niall and Liam are finally together, they finally can...
- by Tommosgirl16
- Rating:
- Published: 17 Jun 2013
- Updated: 27 Jun 2013
- Status: In Progress
Liam Payne had what seemed to be the perfect life. When his parents split up and he is forced to move away with his mom to London, he runs into people who surprise him. Meeting Niall Horan was the best thing that ever happened to him. He never thought he would fall in love with Niall, the deaf kid
Join MovellasFind out what all the buzz is about. Join now to start sharing your creativity and passion
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Good morning, Chairman Upton, Ranking Member Waxman, and members of the Committee. On October 1st, we launched one of the key provisions of the Affordable Care Act—the new Health Insurance Marketplace, where people without health insurance, including those who cannot afford health insurance, and those who are not part of a group plan, can go to get affordable coverage. Consumers can access the Marketplace in several ways—through a call center, by filling out a paper application, with the help of in-person assistance, or by going online and filling out an application on HealthCare.gov.
Over the past few weeks, millions of Americans have visited HealthCare.gov to look at their new health coverage options under the Affordable Care Act. In that time, nearly 700,000 applications have been submitted to the Federal and state marketplaces from across the Nation. This tremendous interest—with over 20 million unique visits to date to HealthCare.gov—confirms that the American people are looking for quality, affordable health coverage. Unfortunately, the experience on HealthCare.gov has been frustrating for many Americans. Some have had trouble creating accounts and logging in to the site, while others have received confusing error messages, or had to wait for slow page loads or forms that failed to respond in a timely fashion. The initial consumer experience of HealthCare.gov has not lived up to the expectations of the American people and is not acceptable. We are committed to fixing these problems as soon as possible.
Improvements Already Made to HealthCare.gov
To build the Marketplace, CMS used private sector contractors, just as it does to administer aspects of Medicare. CMS has a track record of successfully overseeing the many contractors our programs depend on to function. Unfortunately, a subset of those contracts for HealthCare.gov have not met expectations. Among other issues, the initial wave of interest stressed the account service, resulting in many consumers experiencing difficulty signing up, while those who were able to sign up sometimes had problems logging in.
In response, we have made a number of improvements to the account service. We have updated the site several times with new code that includes bug fixes that have improved the HealthCare.gov experience. We continue to add more capacity in order to meet demand and execute software fixes to address the sign up and log in issues, stabilizing those parts of the service and allowing us to remove the virtual "waiting room." Today, more individuals are successfully creating accounts, logging in, and moving on to apply for coverage and shop for plans. We are pleased with these quick improvements, but we know there is still significant, additional work to be done. We continue to conduct regular maintenance nearly every night to improve the consumer experience.
To address the technical challenges with HealthCare.gov, we are putting in place tools and processes to aggressively monitor and identify parts of HealthCare.gov where individuals are encountering errors or having difficulty using the site, so we can prioritize and address them. We are also working to prevent new issues from cropping up as we improve the overall service and deploy fixes to the site during off-peak hours on a regular basis.
To ensure that we make swift progress, and that the consumer experience continues to improve, our team has called in additional help to solve some of the more complex technical issues we are encountering. We are bringing in people from both inside and outside government to scrub in with the team and help improve HealthCare.gov. Specifically, we are bringing on board management expert and former CEO and Chairman of two publicly traded companies, Jeff Zients, to work in close cooperation with our HHS team to provide management advice and counsel to the project. Mr. Zients has led some of the country's top management firms, providing private sector companies around the world with best practices in management, strategy, and operations. He has a proven track record as Acting Director at the Office of Management and Budget and as the Nation's first Chief Performance Officer. Working alongside our team and using his rich expertise and management acumen, Mr. Zients will provide advice, assessments, and recommendations.
Our team has also brought in additional experts and specialists drawn from within government, our contractors, and industry, including veterans of top Silicon Valley companies. These reinforcements include several Presidential Innovation Fellows. This new infusion of talent will bring a powerful array of subject matter expertise and skills, including extensive experience scaling major IT systems. They are part of a cross-functional team that is working aggressively to diagnose the parts of HealthCare.gov that are experiencing problems, learn from successful states, prioritize issues, and fix them.
As part of our team's efforts to ramp up capacity and expertise with the country's leading innovators and problem solvers, our contractors—including CGI, the lead firm responsible for the Federally-Facilitated Marketplace technology—have secured additional staff and made additional staffing commitments. They are providing and directing the additional resources needed for this project.
Expanding Access to Affordable Coverage Through the Health Insurance Marketplace
We are committed to improving the consumer experience with HealthCare.gov, which serves as an important entry point to the new Marketplace. The new Marketplace is a place that enables people without health insurance, including those who cannot afford health insurance, and those who are not part of a group plan, to finally start getting affordable coverage.
Just a few weeks into a six-month open enrollment period, while some consumers have had to wait too long to access the Marketplace via HealthCare.gov, the Marketplace is working for others and consumers are also utilizing the call center, paper applications and in-person assistance to apply for coverage.
The idea of the Marketplace is simple. By enrolling in private health insurance through the Marketplace, consumers effectively become part of a form of statewide group coverage that spreads risk between sick people and healthy people, between young and old, and then bargains on their behalf for the best deal on health insurance. Because we have created competition where there was not competition before, insurers are now eager for new business, and have created new health care plans with more choices.
The bids submitted by insurers provide clear evidence that the Marketplace is encouraging plans to compete for consumers, resulting in more affordable rates. The weighted average premium for the second-lowest-cost silver plan, looking across 47 states and DC, is 16 percent below the premium level implied by earlier Congressional Budget Office estimates.1 Outside analysts have reached similar conclusions. A recent Kaiser Family Foundation report found that, "while premiums will vary significantly across the country, they are generally lower than expected," and that fifteen of the eighteen states examined would have premiums below the CBO-projected national average of $320 per month for a 40-year-old in a silver plan.2
This is good news for consumers. In fact, some insurers lowered their proposed rates when they were finalized. In Washington, D.C., some issuers have reduced their rates by as much as 10 percent.3 In Oregon, two plans requested to lower their rates by 15 percent or more.4 New York State has said, on average, the approved 2014 rates for even the highest coverage levels of plans individual consumers can purchase through its Marketplace (gold and platinum) represent a 53 percent reduction compared to last year's direct-pay individual market rates.5 Furthermore, states are using their rate review powers to review and adjust rates accordingly. In Oregon, the state has reduced rates for some plans by as much as 35 percent,6 and in Maryland, the state has reduced some rates for coverage offered through the Marketplace by almost 30 percent,7 offering consumers an even better deal on their coverage for the 2014 plan year.
In addition to the more affordable rates resulting from competition among insurers, insurance affordability programs, including premium tax credits and cost-sharing reductions, will help many eligible individuals and families, significantly reducing the monthly premiums and cost- sharing paid by consumers. Premium tax credits may be paid in advance and applied to the purchase of a qualified health plan through the Marketplace, enabling consumers to reduce the upfront cost of purchasing insurance. In addition, cost-sharing reductions will lower out-of- pocket payments for deductibles, coinsurance, and copayments for eligible individuals and families. A recent RAND report8 indicated that, for the average Marketplace participant nationwide, the premium tax credits will reduce out‐of‐pocket premium costs by 35 percent from their unsubsidized levels.9
CBO has projected that about 8 in 10 Americans who obtain coverage through the Marketplace will qualify for assistance to make their insurance more affordable, an estimated 20 million Americans by 2017.10 A family's eligibility for these affordability programs depends on its family size, household income, and access to other types of health coverage.
The fact is that the Affordable Care Act delivered on its product: quality, affordable health insurance. The tremendous interest shown in HealthCare.gov shows that people want to buy this product. We know the initial consumer experience at HealthCare.gov has not been adequate. We will address these initial and any ongoing problems, and build a website that fully delivers on this promise of the Affordable Care Act.
Other Benefits of the Affordable Care Act
While we are working around the clock to address problems with HealthCare.gov, it is important to remember that the Affordable Care Act is much more than purchasing insurance through HealthCare.gov. Most Americans—85 percent—already have health coverage through an employer-based plan, or health benefit, such as Medicare, Medicaid, or the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). For these Americans, the Affordable Care Act provides new benefits and protections, many of which have been in place for some time. For example, because of the Affordable Care Act, millions of young adults have been able to stay on their parents' plans until they are 26. Because of the Affordable Care Act, seniors on Medicare receive greater coverage of their prescription medicine, saving them billions. Because of the Affordable Care Act, for millions of Americans, recommended preventive care like mammograms is free through employer-sponsored health coverage. And in states where governors and legislatures have allowed it, the Affordable Care Act provides the opportunity for many Americans to get covered under Medicaid for the first time. In Oregon, for example, a Medicaid eligibility expansion will help cut the number of uninsured people by 10 percent, as a result of enrollment efforts over the last few weeks, resulting in 56,000 more Americans who will now have access to affordable health care.
The Affordable Care Act is also holding insurers accountable for the rates they charge consumers. For example, insurance companies are now required to justify a rate increase of 10 percent or more, shedding light on unnecessary costs. Since this rule was implemented, 11 the proportion of rate filings requesting insurance premium increases of 10 percent or more has plummeted from 75 percent in 201012 to an estimated 14 percent in the first quarter of 2013,13 saving Americans an estimated $1.2 billion on their health insurance premiums.14 These figures strongly suggest the effectiveness of review of rate increases.
The rate review program works in conjunction with the so-called 80/20 rule (or Medical Loss Ratio rule),15 which generally requires insurance companies in the individual and small group markets to spend at least 80 percent of premiums on health care and quality improvement activities and no more than 20 percent on administrative costs (such as executive salaries and marketing) and profits. In the large group market (generally coverage sold to employers with more than 50 employees), insurers must spend at least 85 percent of premiums on medical care and quality improvement activities. If insurers fail to meet their medical loss ratio requirement, they must provide rebates to their customers.
New rules will help make health insurance even more affordable for more Americans beginning next year. 16 Marketplace health insurance plans will be prohibited from charging higher premiums to applicants because of their current or past health problems or gender, and will be limited in how much more they can charge Americans based on their age.
The Affordable Care Act has already provided new benefits and protections to Americans with health insurance, and we are committed to improving the experience for consumers using HealthCare.gov so that Americans can easily access the quality, affordable health coverage they need. By enlisting additional technical help, aggressively monitoring errors, testing to prevent new issues from cropping up, and regularly deploying fixes to the site, we are working to ensure consumers' interaction with HealthCare.gov is a positive one, and that the Affordable Care Act fully delivers on its promise.
2 http://kaiserfamilyfoundation.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/early-look-at-premiums-and-participation-in- marketplaces.pdf
3 http://hbx.dc.gov/release/dc-health-link-applauds-aetna-decision-cut-rates
4 http://www.oregonlive.com/health/index.ssf/2013/05/two_oregon_insurers_reconsider.html
5 http://www.governor.ny.gov/press/07172013-health-benefit-exchange
6 http://www.oregonlive.com/health/index.ssf/2013/06/oregon_slashes_2014_health_ins.html
7 http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/stories/2013/july/26/maryland-marketplace-premiums-exchange.aspx
8 http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/research_reports/RR100/RR189/RAND_RR189.pdf
9 This is a simple calculation based on Figure 6 of the RAND study, available at the link above.
10 http://www.cbo.gov/sites/default/files/cbofiles/attachments/44190_EffectsAffordableCareActHealthInsuranceCove rage_2.pdf
11 Health Insurance Rate Review – Final Rule on Rate Increase Disclosure and Review:
12 http://www.cms.gov/CCIIO/Resources/Forms-Reports-and-Other-Resources/rate-review09112012a.html
13 http://aspe.hhs.gov/health/reports/2013/rateIncreaseIndvMkt/rb.cfm
14 http://aspe.hhs.gov/health/reports/2013/acaannualreport/ratereview_rpt.cfm
15 Medical Loss Ratio Final Rule: https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2012/05/16/2012-11753/medical-loss- ratio-requirements-under-the-patient-protection-and-affordable-care-act
The HHS Secretary's testimony, with commentary by noted technologist and author Clay Johnson


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Dianthus barbatus
sweet William
Plants of Home and Garden
Can be sown early summer, 60-75F/15-24C, for flowering next year, or early in year for flowers that year. Well-drained soil, just covered, sun; alkaline soils often tolerated. Provide ample water during hot, dry periods. Most forms are biennial, though some are grown just as annuals. Many self-sow well; may be divided or propagated by softwood cuttings in late spring. Hardy to zone 3; some Dianthus barbatus x Dianthus chinensis hybrids hardy to zone 2
Note that Dianthus allwoodii, Dianthus plumarius and Dianthus hybridus, known also as pinks, grow in the same conditions, may be propagated also by layering, and are hardy zones 3-8
See Also
Dianthus caryophyllus (carnation, clove pink)
Related Topics
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The State Department on Monday reassigned Daniel Fried, the special envoy for closing the prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, and will not replace him, according to an internal personnel announcement. Mr. Fried's office is being closed, and his former responsibilities will be "assumed" by the office of the department's legal adviser, the notice said.The announcement that no senior official in President Obama's second term will succeed Mr. Fried in working primarily on diplomatic issues aimed at repatriating or resettling detainees appeared to signal that the administration does not currently see the closing of the Guantánamo Bay prison as a realistic priority, despite repeated statements that it still intends to do so.Mr. Fried will become the department's coordinator for sanctions policy and will work on issues including Iran and Syria. . . .Mr. Fried's special envoy position was created by the Obama administration in early 2009, shortly after Mr. Obama took office and promised to close the military prison in his first year. Mr. Fried spent several years traveling the world overseeing the repatriation of low-level detainees and persuading other countries to resettle detainees who had been cleared for release but who could not be sent home.But the flow of detainees out of Guantánamo has slowed almost to a halt as Congress has imposed a series of restrictions on transfers, leaving Mr. Fried with less to do. He was eventually assigned to work on resettling a group of Iranian exiles who were members of a group known as the M.E.K. in a refugee camp in Iraq, in addition to his Guantánamo duties.
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Crickets from the close Gitmo crowd
Office Established by Obama with Intent of Closing Gitmo . . . Closes
The Times reports:
As recently as last week, when asked at a White House press briefing about the president's first term promise to close Guantanamo Bay, Jay Carney reiterated the president's plans: "As you know, the president remains committed to that. He agrees with military leaders as well as his immediate predecessor that we ought to do that. There are obviously obstacles in Congress to that, but we will continue to work towards that goal because he believes it's in the best interests of our national security."
Posted by jerry at 10:01 AM
Labels: Dissecting leftism, Loony Left, Obama
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I don't know about you but I'm bushed. I crammed a lot into the week. And I need sleep. Or tea. Anyway, this past week I:
Stocked up on gym-related gear at the Nike store.
Attended a local concert at the B52
Ate tons of beef and dessert.
Celebrated my friend - Z's birthday.
Yup it's the end of the world... as you know it. Don't be shocked if, you see rats fly. Nor should you be shocked if Lady Gaga wins the Gloria Steinem Woman of The Year Award, the original Metallica lineup (Mustaine, Hetfield, McGovney, & Ulrich) reunites, global warming is completely upturned, China gives up hold over Tibet and the world welcomes eternal peace. Seth Rogen makes a movie that doesn't drive me absolutely apeshit, and the cure for aids is found and that cure is chocolate.
Why? As of Monday, I threw on my running shoes, joined the gym and worked out for a whole hour. There was no one at the back of me with a gun. Just me. Working out. By choice. Effin' A.
I'm not sure what got into me. I wanted to get rid of the overwhelming feelings I've been having lately. And rid I did. And do you want to know something? It didn't slaughter me. In fact, it felt kind of good. Now, I'm not going to make any pledges about turning this peculiar goings-on into a routine. But don't be surprised if it happens again. Or the cosmos implodes.
That explains why I'm so worn out. What did you guys do?
I've been listening to Arnel Pineda (The Zoo) before he replaced Journey's lead vocalist and let me first say, before digressing into a boring rant, that his voice is astounding. Quite simply he makes the band brilliant and will always be known as one of Youtube's success stories. That being said let the wild rant commence.
The track is gorgeous, heartening, and layered in a way that fits perfectly with Journey. And yet in the background there is the invigorating and memorable vocal track provided by our indescribable hero. Is this enough to quench Journey fans? Probably not. But at least we can put our feet up, certain that the band is still alive and still caught up enough creating quality music.


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Crash bars and bumpers are the ideal insurance to protect your ride from scratches and dents. Everyone knows what can happen during a moment of inattention during parking or a hard landing: that's when you wish you had sturdy protection.
The crash bars are attached to the legshield and secured by clamping screws. The crash bars form the CUPPINI TRAVELLER and LOGOSCOOTER line reach from the upper end of the glovebox to the end of the legshield. If you are looking for an all out protection, the 1 / 2-parts universal version is the right choice for you. Here however some drilling is necessary.


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Bruce Springsteen, Christina Aguilera, Billy Joel, Bon Jovi and other stars will come together for a one-hour telethon Friday to benefit the victims of Hurricane Sandy.
The event, dubbed Hurricane Sandy: Coming Together, will be hosted by Matt Lauer and will air live on NBC at 8/7c. The telethon will also be live-streamed on NBC.com and will be broadcast across NBCUniversal's network and cable channels, including Bravo, CNBC, E!, G4, NSNBC, Style, Syfy and USA. (The telethon will be tape-delayed on the West Coast.)
As of Friday afternoon, thousands of residents in New York and New Jersey were still without power, and hundreds had been left homeless. The storm, which is estimated to cost about $50 billion, according to one consulting firm's report, also killed dozens of people in several states.
NBC plans star-studded benefit for victims of Hurricane SandyOther stars scheduled to attend the benefit include New Yorkers Tina Fey , Kevin Bacon, James Gandolfini, Jon Stewart and Jimmy Fallon.All proceeds collected will go to the American Red Cross. To donate, visit www.redcross.org, call 1-800-HELPNOW or text "REDCROSS" to 90999 to make an automatic $10 donation.


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Straus faces rocky road to third term
AUSTIN — House Speaker Joe Straus' bid for a third term as leader of the 150-member state House may not come as quickly or as easily as he had anticipated.
The San Antonio Republican finds himself caught between the proverbial rock and a hard place: His re-election path is complicated by a challenge from the hard conservative wing of his own GOP, combined with growing unease among some Democratic legislators who are upset with how Straus handled last year's redistricting and other issues affecting minorities.
Straus faces a challenge from Rep. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, who is drawing support from tea party Republicans, FreedomWorks and some of the chamber's more conservative members.
Straus, confident of prevailing, is content to let the process play out.
"I have a broad-based bipartisan coalition of supporters in the House that spans the ideological spectrum," he said. "The members know that I have presided over the House in a way that is fair."
Unlike the governor and lieutenant governor, who are elected by Texas voters, the speaker of the Texas House of Representatives is chosen by members during the first day of each legislative session. It takes at least 76 votes to win the highly prized speakership.
The speaker appoints legislative committees and their leaders and also controls the flow of legislation.
Straus is counting on support from a solid chunk of the chamber's 95 GOP members along with most Democrats, who have backed him in the past — particularly in 2009 when he upset the incumbent speaker, Tom Craddick, R-Midland.
Democrats balk
However, during a Democratic caucus meeting Thursday, members decided to temporarily withhold support for anyone.
"We're not in any hurry," said Democratic Caucus Chair Jessica Farrar, D-Houston.
"Nobody's enthusiastic about the choices, but the fact of the matter is there will be a Republican speaker," Farrar said earlier in the week.
Farrar said Democrats in general could not back Hughes because his support from the most conservative Texans conflicts with the state's need to invest in education, health care, water, transportation and other infrastructure.
"I don't really have much of a choice, quite frankly. I am not excited about Joe Straus," she said.
Straus' standing among many minority lawmakers diminished during the 2011 legislative session following good reviews of his leadership two years earlier.
Part of the tension comes from the state's continuing transition toward a majority-Hispanic population. Hispanics are expected to surpass whites as the state's largest population group by 2020. Texas Hispanics and African Americans combined already outnumber whites, but those numbers are not reflected in the state Legislature, where 67 percent of its 181 members are white.
Many minority members remain upset with Straus' handling of redistricting, voter ID, immigration and cuts to public education funding, including a $300 million cut to kill the state's full-day pre-K program.
"Joe Straus seemed to be very uncaring when he cut public education by $5.4 billion for a statewide system that's 51 percent Hispanic," said Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer, D-San Antonio. "He had no problem trying to curtail and take away minority voting rights (voter ID), and he participated in a scheme to intentionally discriminate against minority voters when it came to redistricting."
Federal appellate courts have invalidated the voter ID bill and the redistricting map as violations of the Voting Rights Act.
Martinez Fischer said Straus needs to decide if he will be pragmatic or cater to his party's extreme fringe, which does not reflect the state's future.
"When Joe Straus makes it clear to me what direction he wants to go in, then I will evaluate whether or not that's a direction that I can support," said Martinez Fischer, D-San Antonio.
He chairs the House Mexican American Legislative Caucus but emphasized he was not speaking for the caucus. The vote for House speaker is a personal choice, he noted.
Hughes is a six-term legislator from East Texas making the same pitch to his colleagues from both parties.
"We need to reform the rules and decentralize power from the speaker's office to the members," he said.
.He believes the House needs to be more open, transparent and inclusive. Straus advocated the same when he challenged Craddick.
"Members are questioning whether his record matches up with the rhetoric," Hughes said.
Both liberal and conservative legislators are upset with disclosures during the redistricting trial showing that outside forces had considerably more influence on redrawing new House maps than they did. GOP lawyer Michael Hull did much of the work behind the scenes on a map that targeted several hard-core conservative Republicans.
Texans for Lawsuit Reform also had a heavy hand behind the scenes. In an email to Straus allies and senior staff members, TLR co-founder Dick Trabulsi discussed his preference for the House redistricting map and proposed a coordinated statement from his organization and two GOP groups declaring support for a specific map.
"If TLR is going to help proactively, I need to know what's going on and what you want us to do," Trabulsi wrote in an email discovered during the redistricting trial process.
At least 100 Texas grassroots conservative leaders, including more than 20 county GOP chairs and 10 State Republican Executive Committee members, endorsed Hughes last week. Former Texas GOP Chair and Texas Eagle Forum President Cathie Adams said the challenge to Straus is more serious this year than the effort Rep. Ken Paxton, R-McKinney, made before the 2011 session because Hughes started earlier.
"The issues that matter to voters are mainstream issues that Straus was unable to accomplish," Adams said, citing "balancing the budget without gimmicks and TSA (Transportation Security Administration) groping were two of them. Sanctuary cities were another."
But Rep. Lyle Larson contends his fellow conservatives are misguided in taking on Straus and are hurting the cause by "competing against one another in a fight to be perceived as most conservative."
Texas is more conservative than ever, Larson, R-San Antonio, said. He pointed to the last legislative session that produced $15 billion worth of budget cuts, additional tort reform, a mandatory sonogram bill and voter ID legislation.
Facts get distorted, Larson complained. "Instead of coming together to continue to work to achieve our collective conservative goals, petty (party) infighting remains rampant," he said.
Straus said he understands that "there are some bruised feelings from the last session when there was a supermajority of Republicans who pursued and enacted some of their legislation that they desired."
The speaker said most legislators agree with him that Texas needs to focus on such priorities as education, water, energy, transportation and budget transparency and not get sidetracked with divisive speaker politics.
"The state is growing and evolving and always changing," Straus said. "I don't look back. I look forward. ... Demographics change and the House changes, but the way I have done business in the House — trying to draw people together and doing the serious work of the state — is going to continue to succeed."